Three months into the season, the Rockies have had four team meetings. Manager Jim Tracy called his second before the game Tuesday, trying to unlock his club’s bearhug on mediocrity.

“We aren’t at death’s door,” Tracy said.

Fair enough. But they are in the cul-de-sac. That’s why the response in a 6-3 victory over the San Diego Padres was encouraging.

It hinted that Tracy’s animated message resonated beyond the nodding heads he witnessed three hours before the first pitch.

“Do you just sit here and think we will be fine and go (21-1) like in 2007? Or that we can be 12 games under .500 and win 74 more games and make the playoffs like in 2009?” said Tracy, who admitted his preference was never to call a meeting.

“We are in a position where we need to start the charge now.”

One night after stringing together careless at-bats against a pitcher making his big-league debut, the Rockies demonstrated a much better approach against spot starter Wade LeBlanc (three runs, 14 outs).

It began with a walk — doesn’t it always? — in the fourth. Chris Nelson’s free pass began a relentless blend of patience and hits. Todd Helton singled in a run and crossed the plate for the 1,300th time in his career, ninth among active players. Ty Wigginton ripped an RBI shot to right field. Rookie Charlie Blackmon, a catalytic force on the bases over the past week, plated a run. Suddenly an offense that had scored once in its previous 12 innings was caffeinated.

Through six innings, seven of the eight position players had hits. And for good measure, right fielder Ryan Spilborghs eventually got hit, wearing a fastball on the meat of his forearm.

Chris Iannetta provided the most influential swing, a three-run moonshot in the sixth inning off reliever Pat Neshek.

“There’s a lot of deception in his delivery. I was just trying to get the barrel on the ball,” said Iannetta of the Rockies’ 11th three-run home run this season.

Iannetta has been a force at Coors Field this season and challenged in visiting parks (.158 average). Iannetta’s nine home runs leave him tied with Arizona’s Miguel Montero and Atlanta’s Brian McCann for most among National League catchers. Seven of Iannetta’s have come at Blake Street.

Given a lead, rookie Juan Nicasio showed maturity even as he fought composure issues over borderline calls. He poured in strikes — 67 in 108 pitches — many of which missed bats. He tied the Rockies’ season high with nine strikeouts.

“He competes, and he wants to beat you,” Tracy said.

Evidence of Nicasio’s growth? He struck out Ryan Ludwick on a 95 mph, four-seam fastball and then locked him up on a full-count changeup, a distant third pitch in his repertoire.

The victory was convincing. Will it lead to something? That will ultimately be the measure of the latest, and if Tracy has his way, last team meeting.

Looking ahead

This figures to be a SPF-30 afternoon unless Mat Latos (4-7, 3.86 ERA) has last year’s fastball. Then pack SPF-150 for the heat. Latos went through an Ubaldo Jimenez-sized slump, losing 10 straight decisions dating to last season. He began his U-turn on May 15, going 4-2 with a 2.95 ERA since. Seth Smith (2-for-4) will return to the lineup against the right-hander. Jhoulys Chacin (7-4, 2.90) deserves all-star consideration. He has saved the rotation given Jimenez’s struggles and Jorge De La Rosa’s injury. Chacin has held Padres to a .237 average but has never beaten them. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post

Troy joined The Denver Post in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role before the 2015 season. He is a past president of the local chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America and has won more than 20 local and national writing awards since graduating from the University of Colorado journalism school with honors in 1993.

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